


Not As It Seems XXIV

by eliniel



Series: Wondrous Tails 2020 [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Easter, Easter Eggs, Egg Coloring, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:28:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23445496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eliniel/pseuds/eliniel
Summary: As Hatching-tide approaches Eorzea, the Warrior of Light decides to teach Emet-Selch about a family tradition from the time she was young.
Relationships: Solus zos Galvus | Emet-Selch/Warrior of Light
Series: Wondrous Tails 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1686646
Comments: 5
Kudos: 39





	Not As It Seems XXIV

**Author's Note:**

> So, I stumbled across the Wondrous Tails writing thing. I've never participated in something like this before, so I decided to go ahead and give it a try since I've been dry on prompts! You'll probably see an influx of stories from me in the coming days :)
> 
> The prompts in this one: Holiday Celebrations & Holiday Traditions

I groaned as I made my way back into the city, pausing for a moment to stretch my back out.  _ Everything _ hurt. 

As much as I enjoyed helping people with their problems, I was decidedly getting  _ too old _ for some of the things they had need of.

Saving the world? No problem.

Lifting a heavy box?

I sighed.

_ Problem. _

The Warrior of Light- savior of the realm, unifier of nations...errand-girl.

I snorted at the thought and passed into the gates of Gridania, acknowledging the guards with a soft smile and a nod. 

Of course, it  _ was _ good to get back to my roots every once in a while. Working hard was how I wound up  _ where _ I was now. Even if I didn’t always enjoy it, I was definitely still thankful.

With a shrug to myself, I made my way to the market to find something to eat for the night, stretching my arms and neck as I walked. Birdsong grabbed my attention and I lifted my head to take in my surroundings. 

The city was awash in bright colors that I hadn’t bothered to notice when I left early that morning. The sun was still shining high in the sky though, soon it would begin its descent into night. 

It was a welcome change from the cloudy dreariness winter had brought. Flowers along the paths and in the trees had begun to blossom and a cool breeze hit my back as I walked, loose strands of my hair whipping around my head as it blew. 

I grinned, clasping my hands behind my back, deeply inhaling the sweet scents of new life. 

The colors of autumn were certainly my favorite, but spring definitely took second. 

And with the blooming buds, Hatching-tide would be upon us soon. 

And here I was  _ just _ thinking about getting back to my roots. I could-

“What are you so happy about, hero?” 

I nearly jumped out of my skin, the words tearing me from my pleasant thoughts. I pursed my lips as I turned, swallowing my surprise, the beat of my heart  _ thumping _ loudly in my ears. Emet-Selch stood next to me, wearing his usual glamour so the townsfolk would not recognize him, watching my reaction with amusement in his eyes. 

I clicked my tongue and shook my head, then began walking again. 

“Nothing,” I mumbled in annoyance as I passed him. He chuckled from behind me and I heard his footfalls following soon after. 

Really, I should be  _ used _ to him sneaking up on me by now. No matter how many times I told him not to, it just seemed to fuel his drive to irritate me further. And each time, without fail, he still managed to surprise me. 

“Taking in the scenery?” he asked me, peering around at the trees that surrounded us. 

“Don’t tease me.”

“And why not, when you make it so easy?”

I narrowed my eyes ahead of me, crossing my arms over my chest. “You sound as if you  _ don’t _ want me to make dinner tonight. I could just leave it to-”

Immediately, he raised his arms in surrender. 

“Fine, fine,” he sighed. “I concede.” A smug smile crossed my lips.

“That’s what I thought.” 

“And where are you headed now?” I nodded towards the Stalls near the Leatherworker’s guild, though I was still quite a ways off.

He chuckled, holding his arm out for me to take. I breathed a laugh through my nose and shook my head at him once more, then slid mine through his and continued on our way.

When we finally reached the market, I wandered to the food stalls to see what fresh ingredients they’d gotten in for the day. 

“Is there anything you want in particular?” I asked the Ascian, raising a finger to my lip as my mind sifted through different dishes with the produce that was available. Beside me, he hummed, but ultimately shrugged. 

“Surprise me.” 

I huffed, clicking my tongue.

“Very helpful.” 

When the shopkeeper turned to me, asking what I would like, I began pointing out different foods for her to wrap up for me. 

“Will that be all for you, miss?”

I tilted my head as my eyes landed on a basket of eggs sitting off to the side. 

Hatching-tide…

My gaze wandered to Emet-Selch, watching him from the corner of my eye as his attention wandered to the other shops around us, before focusing back on the woman in front of me.

“Two dozen eggs too, please.”

When I had paid, I passed the bags onto the Ascian, who quirked a brow. I raised one back at him, waiting for him to challenge me, but once more, he gave in. 

“Finished?” He asked as he began turning towards the door that led back outside, but I stopped him with a hand on his arm.

“One more stop,” I informed him, then took off in the direction of the dyemonger. 

A while later, we  _ finally _ made it back to my home in the Lavender Beds. He dumped the bags onto the dining table, though I had to quickly rush to catch the eggs before they broke in the bag.

“Careful!” I nearly cried. He snorted at my reaction and took a seat in one of the chairs, leaning back and watching me as I began setting the ingredients out. When I put the eggs and dye aside, he gave me a curious look but, instead of providing him with an answer, I simply winked at him before disappearing into the kitchen.

As I started cooking dinner- I’d decided on a  _ nice _ dinner of steak, salad, and popotoes- I pulled out a set of small, deep bowls, two thin sticks of clear wax, two spoons, and an empty pitcher. I dropped the wax and utensils into the bowls. When I reached for a large, metal pot and set it on the counter, the door swung open. 

“Could you help me?” I asked without turning to face him, quickly checking on the steak. A histrionic sigh sounded behind me and I rolled my eyes, turning my head to cough to mask the laugh. 

“Oh, I suppose, hero,” he drawled as he stepped up behind me. “Let no one say that I am not  _ generous _ . What is it you need?”

With the fork I’d just used to turn the meat, I pointed to the pitcher and bowls. 

“Fill that with water, then take it and the bowls out to the table,” I ordered. “Then, bring me the eggs. Leave the dye.” He hummed as he moved to the sink to do as I’d requested, grabbing the handle of the ceramic as he did. 

“What is it you’re planning now?” I tilted my head, a small grin gracing my lips as I flipped the steak once more. The sound of running water filled the room.

“An old family tradition,” I answered.

“Another Eorzean holiday?” 

“Yes. One I am quite fond of.”

“You seem to be fond of them all, hero.” I chuckled, quietly.

“Is that so wrong?” I asked, leaning on the counter next to the stove, watching as he waited for the jug to fill. He examined my face for a long moment before shrugging his shoulders, though I caught the  _ hint _ of a smile forming on his mouth.

“I suppose not,” he started. “If it makes you happy.”

I breathed a quiet laugh, eyes averting to the floor for a moment before I stood straight once more to attend to the boiling popotoes. 

When I had the food plated, I set the pot, full of eggs and water, on the stove to cook while we ate. 

After we had finished and cleaned up, I turned the stove off and set the eggs in the sink with cold water.

Later that night, when the sun had gone down, I pulled him up from the couch and went off to prepare the dye. 

“You’re going to want to take your gloves off for this,” I advised him as I put a pellet of color in each of the bowls and filled them with water, excluding two. “Or they’ll be ruined.” 

I watched as the dye dissolved, turning the liquid a multitude of shades. He raised a brow, but began sliding the fabric off his hands, laying them on the table. I handed him one of the empty bowls, a spoon, and a stick of wax, then placed the pot of boiled eggs between us.

I watched as he picked up the wax and examined it curiously.

“We are...doing what, exactly?”

“Coloring the eggs,” I said, simply as I plucked one from the top of the pile and dropped it into a bowl of green. “The longer you leave it in, the more vibrant the color will be.”

“And the wax?”

“Ah,” I said, lifting another egg in one hand, my own stick in the other. “If you draw a design on the shell with it, it prevents the color from latching on. So, you can draw designs.”

He frowned as he watched me doodle a pattern all over it, then let it roll from my hand into a bowl of pink water. I nodded towards him. 

“Go on.”

He pursed his lips for a moment before sighing out of his nose and took the seat next to me. 

“Who taught you to do this?” he asked, reaching for an egg. 

“My mother,” I said, wistfully, unable to hold back my smile as I thought back to when I was a child. “These days, most people prefer to actually  _ paint _ eggs because you can use more colors and they are brighter. You’ll see them soon around town, I’m sure. But, when I was growing up, this is what we did. Every year.”

I looked over to him with a soft smile. He searched my eyes for a moment before nodding, then focused his attention back onto his egg.

I dropped a few more into various colors and waited a few minutes as he began drawing a design, then took my spoon and extracted both of my first ones from their respective dyes. I set the green one in the empty bowl I’d set aside, but held the bright pink one up to show up.

“See?” 

He paused, taking it into his own hand as he turned it over with his fingers. 

“Intriguing,” he said, his voice nonchalant. “But rather juvenile, don’t you think?”

I puffed my cheeks out in indignation, snatching the egg away from him.

“You think you can do better?” His amber eyes lit with my challenge, the corners of his lips curling upward into a smug grin.

“I believe so, yes.”

“Fine,” I huffed, sitting back in my chair and crossing my arms over my chest. “Let’s see, then.”

For a long while, I waited as he concentrated intently on a single design, but eventually went back to my own drawings. 

“What’s your favorite color, hero?”

I hummed, tapping my stick against my mouth. “Purple.”

Without another word, he dumped the egg in his hand into the purple dye, then lounged back in his seat, raising his arms behind his head. I looked down at the bowl with a raised brow. 

“That took an awfully long time,” I remarked. 

“Yes,” he agreed. “But you’ll find the design without equal.”

I rolled my eyes and went back to what I had been doing. 

When he finally pulled it out, I sucked in a sharp breath. The smirk was back as he dropped it into my hand for me to examine. 

He had drawn my initials, though they looked more like pictures rather than actual letters. Vines with small leaves and flowers curled around the lines on a deep purple background. I’d only ever seen lettering like this in  _ old _ books, and certainly never seen it drawn before.

“What-,” I started. “How-”

“At a loss for words, Warrior of Light?”

“I-” I breathed a laugh as I continued staring at it. “It’s...beautiful.”

“I’ve lived a long time, hero,” he said, gently taking it from my hand and slowly spinning it between his fingers. “You don’t live as long as I have without picking up some tricks here and there.”

“I suppose...that’s right.”

He hummed and set the egg into his bowl, then went to work on some more less-time consuming patterns. 

“Do you think…” I began again, pausing my drawing and lowering both hands to my lap. “Could you teach me how to write like that?”

I looked over to him as his eyes slid to me, a thoughtful expression on his face.

“I’d...love to be able to write something so elegant.”

He released a breathy chuckle at my words and nodded his head.

“Of course, hero. Anything you want.”

I grinned brightly with his agreement before turning back to finish off the eggs, refusing to draw attention to how his breath caught as he watched me smile.


End file.
